Al Ain booked their place in the semifinals of the ADIB Cup, setting up a highly anticipated clash against Al Nasr, after defeating Sharjah 4–1 on Saturday evening at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in the second leg of the quarterfinals.
The first leg had also ended in a 3–1 win for Al Ain, giving Al Zaeem a big 7–2 win on aggregate and confirming their place in the semifinal stage.
Al Ain started strongly and almost took the lead early when Soufiane Rahimi missed a clear one-on-one chance in the 9th minute.
Their pressure paid off in the 17th minute when Petrovic mistakenly headed the ball into his own net, giving Al Ain the opening goal.
Just four minutes later, Laba Kodjo doubled the lead with a composed finish after being set up beautifully by Rahimi.
Sharjah responded with a goal from Manaj in the 30th minute, reducing the deficit to 2–1 with a well-placed header.
In the second half, Al Ain regained full control. Rahimi restored the two-goal advantage in the 51st minute with a powerful strike into the top corner. Ten minutes later, Palacios made it 4–1 with a brilliant effort from the right side.
Send feedback
